POLITICOs Behind the Curtain column last night quoted Bob Woodward as saying that a senior White House official has told him in an email he would regret questioning White House statements on the origins of sequestration. The official in question is Gene Sperling, economic adviser to the president. The White House has since pushed back, saying the exchange was far more innocuous than Woodward claims.

We have obtained, exclusively, the exchange. Here it is:

From Gene Sperling to Bob Woodward on Feb. 22, 2013

Bob:

I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today. My bad. I do understand your problems with a couple of our statements in the fall  but feel on the other hand that you focus on a few specific trees that gives a very wrong perception of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here.

But I do truly believe you should rethink your comment about saying saying that Potus asking for revenues is moving the goal post. I know you may not believe this, but as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim. The idea that the sequester was to force both sides to go back to try at a big or grand barain with a mix of entitlements and revenues...

Gene Sperling is sniveling little punk like The Ploofter. A north east commie who got his start working for Gov Mike Dukakis (Massachusetts) Sperling goes way back. He worked for Bill Clintoooooon too.

8
posted on 02/28/2013 8:15:47 AM PST
by dennisw
(too much of a good thing is a bad thing --- Joe Pine)

I imagine this kind of threatening posture is nothing new for this White House. (is that what they call the “Chicago way?”) Even IF Woodward is not cowed, or L.Davis, just think how many in the media ARE. This is an atmosphere which exists and therefore, the media is not only in ideological alignment but are otherwise controlled by intimidation. One wonders, “where are a few good men” of integrity willing to break ranks, to speak the truth — and not just when it benefits book sales.

Since there seems to be a clear pattern of threats and intimidation to the media, including the usual lapdogs that have failed to show enough comradely enthusiasm for Mr. Obama, an investigation by the House of Representatives is clearly needed. It might be best to form a Special Committee to Investigate the Administration of President Obama. email expose. Sperling: Woody, you @$#@#$%%, @#^$&& you, your dog, your newspaper and the horse you rode in on. Woodward: I'm sorry, can't we be friends?

The real story is the reflexive way the media leaped to attack the heretic, before even waiting for any facts to really come out. Even if that heretic is a journalistic legend whom most of them would have fallen over themselves praising a week earlier.

It’s far more frightening that the media’s gut instinct is to defend the White House at all costs than some admin flunkie was trying to bully a reporter.

27
posted on 02/28/2013 10:16:24 AM PST
by kevkrom
(If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs...)

My cynical mind is reading this kerfuffle as nothing more than the White House and their sycophants in the SRM creating a big nothing burger to divert attention away from other, more serious issues, such as the release of criminal illegal aliens from federal custody.

28
posted on 02/28/2013 10:18:29 AM PST
by Windflier
(To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)

So where are all those like an AF Four Star who a few decades ago stopped at an Air National Guard Base after they’d just crashed on of the first airplanes that went directly from the manufacture to the ANG Wing? After the accident briefing and before boarding his airplane to go back to Langley AFB, VA, he called the Wing Commander aside and quietly said, “You Son-Of-A-Bitch, if you lose another airplane I’m going to come to your house and burn it down...with your wife and kids inside”.

Not in this case. Asking for comment is to get a quote for the story, and this story was already put to bed...no comment for the story because it’s post-deadline. Maybe for a follow up story, I don’t know.

But I get a bad feeling in my gut about Woodward’s call to Sperling. And the follow up email. And especially Woodward’s reply to the email.

40
posted on 02/28/2013 5:40:04 PM PST
by Cyber Liberty
(I am a dissident. Will you join me? My name is John....)

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